GSN Names Fran Shea Head Of Programming & Marketing

October 23, 2017 3:52pm

GSN

GSN has named Fran Shea to the unusual hybrid role of head of both programming and marketing. Shea, who has been appointed as EVP, Programming and Marketing, will report to GSN CEO Mark Feldman and will be based in the company’s Santa Monica office.

Coincidentally, Shea was previously a top executive at E!, including a stint as interim E! president.

In her new role, Shea will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of GSN TV programming and marketing, including in-house production, acquisitions, development, network branding and messaging to viewers.

“Fran has an impressive track record of creating phenomenally successful and culturally relevant content. Her creative vision and leadership will be critical to GSN as we continue to enhance our programming choices, both original and acquired, to engage our core viewers,” said Feldman.

Shea most recently ran her own industry consultant firm, Fran Shea Consulting, which counted GSN as a client along with HBO, Cinemax, VH-1, and E!. She previously founded HBOlab in 2007, a content driven, creative experiment within HBO that explored a variety of business models using digital content to build and grow audiences.

Shea served as president of E! Entertainment Television from 1999-2001, launching a second network, style, during her tenure. Before that, Shea served as SVP of Programming at E! Shea began her career in production and spent a decade as a producer/executive at HBO winning a producer Emmy Award in 1989.

“This is an outstanding opportunity for a programmer,” Shea said. “We are also fortunate to have our terrific slate of original shows like Idiotest, Divided, and Winsanity, delivering great entertainment value to our viewers, as well as a healthy development slate with many exciting things in the pipeline.”

This article was printed from https://deadline.com/2017/10/gsn-fran-shea-head-of-programming-marketing-1202193466/